For the New Canaan High boys lacrosse team, in the second half Tuesday, the best defense was a good offense.

The Rams dominated second-half possession in their 12-7 win over Fairfield Ludlowe on Tuesday night at Taft Field.

"We changed our offense, and we tried to do a couple of different things on offense," New Canaan coach Chip Buzzeo said. "It was a great second half."

Sophomore attack Michael Kraus scored five goals, and junior Henry Stanton had three goals and an assist as the Rams improved to 6-1, avenging their first loss on Saturday at Staples.

"We were coming off a tough loss against Staples," New Canaan senior Peter Richardson said. "As a team effort, we played really well."

"It's always good to get back on track after any loss," Buzzeo said.

Ryan Desmond led Ludlowe, which had its three-game win streak snapped. The Falcons fell to 3-3.

"We didn't have trouble scoring, we had trouble possessing the ball," Ludlowe coach Chris Parisi said. "We're not a one-team town. They're a one-team town with a (ton) of money, and they've got 45 kids on the team ... and we do what we can."

Trailing 5-4 at halftime, the Rams turned up their offensive intensity in the third. Keyed by Eric Persky's faceoff dominance, New Canaan possessed the ball for the first five minutes of the half, tying the game on Richardson's goal 3:20 into the third.

"The faceoff is one of the most important parts of the game," Richardson said. "(Persky) did a great job for us, and we were able to possess the ball a lot in the second half."

Kraus scored the first of his two second-half tallies while the Rams were a man up, giving the Rams the lead for good. New Canaan scored the second half's first six goals, turning its one-goal halftime deficit into an 10-5 lead after Kraus' goal with 6:24 to play.

"They moved the ball. How quick can they get the ball around the horn? It's like they're a man up in their regular-man offense," Parisi said. "I guess we woke them up in the first half, and they rattled off like six in a row, and we're looking up at the scoreboard."

The Rams limited Ludlowe to just eight second-half shots.

"I was happy with the way our team responded," Buzzeo said. "We easily could've folded, and they played great in the second half. I was proud of that."

The first half was the complete opposite. After Stanton's goal 2:01 into the game, Ludlowe scored the next three -- two on man-advantages -- building a 3-1 cushion.

"That's what we can do," Parisi said. "We can move the ball, and we can score ... we game-planned to attack some of the things they do, and we attacked them."

Kraus and Desmond traded the first-half's final five goals, allowing the Falcons to carry the halftime advantage.